‘Why did she do it?’
‘She must have thought it was an interesting story.’
‘But she’s not the one with the brother who went missing, is she? You’re the one most affected by this, Jane. And I don’t think it’s right that it’s all out in the open like this. I blame that Mrs Peel for starting it all off. And she’s got the police involved!’
‘They were hopeless the first time round, and they’ll be just as hopeless again. You should have seen the constable, he didn’t look a day over twelve.’
‘It doesn’t matter how old he was. The police are involved, Jane, and that’s quite unnecessary.’
‘I’ve told them they won’t get anywhere with it. Too much time has passed.’
‘So why do you insist on speaking to them then? Just tell them to go away the next time they call round.’ Robert got up and poured himself a large whisky. ‘What does Mrs Peel want out of this?’
‘She has a notion she can find out what happened to Alexander. She came across the letter and initially called here because she was interested to find out if Alexander’s disappearance had ever been solved.’
‘I think it’s strange.’ He took a gulp of whisky. ‘If I found a letter like that, I wouldn’t go around knocking on doors and speaking to people about it. She upset you.’
‘She didn’t upset me.’
‘Yes, she did. I can tell she did. I know when you’re upset, Jane.’
‘How? I don’t feel upset.’
‘I can tell by your gestures. I know when you’re anxious.’
She felt herself stiffen. Her husband made her more anxious than anyone else she knew.
‘That woman put you on edge,’ continued Robert. ‘I don’t like her asking questions.’
‘Why?’
‘Did you tell her the truth?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Did you tell Mrs Peel that the last time you saw your brother was when you had that horrendous argument with him?’
‘No, of course I didn’t tell her that. And I don’t like to think about it now. You know how awful that made me feel.’
‘And what if she discovers you lied to her? What then? She’s working with the police. You know what they’re like when they discover you haven’t been honest.’
‘I was honest. But the argument isn’t relevant.’
He gave a dry laugh and refilled his whisky glass. ‘That’s what you think, Jane. Just you wait until they learn about the argument.’
‘They won’t.’
‘It’s far better to refuse to talk about these things from the outset. The moment you try to pretend that everything was fine between you and your brother, then you’re covering something up. And it’s too late now, you’ve said too much.’
‘Mrs Peel won’t find out about it.’
‘She’s a private detective, Jane. Who knows what she’s planning?’
‘She’s only a part-time private detective. She told me she runs a second-hand bookshop.’
‘Which one?’
‘I don’t know. She mentioned it’s in Bloomsbury.’
‘So this woman who runs a bookshop and does a bit of work on the side as a private detective turned up on our doorstep asking you about your brother who went missing ten years ago. There’s something odd happening here. Someone must have said something.’
‘No. It was because she found the letter.’
‘How can you be sure? Did you see the letter?’
‘No.’
‘I think someone has stirred something up.’ Robert drained his glass and paced the sitting room. ‘Everything has been nice and quiet for ten years and now this. Who had that letter before Mrs Peel supposedly found it?’
‘I don’t know. It was in a book, wasn’t it?’
‘I think someone deliberately ensured Mrs Peel came across that letter. How else could it have found its way into the hands of a private detective?’
‘I don’t know. Shall we have dinner?’
‘Don’t attempt to change the subject, Jane!’
She sat back, silenced.
